


Who You Gonna Call?

by timeforteaaa



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Action/Adventure, Drama, Fluff, Ghostbusters AU, Halloween, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-15
Updated: 2017-05-15
Packaged: 2018-11-01 04:41:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,133
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10914537
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/timeforteaaa/pseuds/timeforteaaa
Summary: Bustin' makes him feel good. So does Kim Jongin.





	Who You Gonna Call?

wassup wassup wassup wassup wassuppppp EVERYBOOODAAAAAYYYYYYYY

are we all excited for chenbaekxi mmmhmmmmmmmmmm jongdae was lookin mighty fine i dont care what yall say

ANYWAYS LOOK WHO'S BACK WITH A FIC BECAUSE SOON IT'LL BE HALLOWEEN /cue spooky noises/ 

GHOSTBUSTERS!AU BOOOOOYYAAAAAAAAAH 

this was originally started in like june with the intention of being kat's (aka kim-jignog's) birthday present so.... um....... happy birthday kat? sorry im only nearly three months late???????????????

DISCLAIMER: ITS BEEN A WHILE SINCE I DID PHYSICS. THERE IS A LOT OF PSEUDO-SCIENCE IN HERE THAT MAY OR MAY NOT BE LARGELY MADE UP. JUST TAKE A PINCH OF LITERARY SALT IF YOU'RE INTO THAT KINDA STUFF OK? 

warnings for minor swearing and stuff oOOOooooOOOooops 

i feel like there was so much more i was supposed to say because its been sO LONG since i've written anything (or it feels like so long anyways) SO WHO KNOWS

righhttttt i tink thats it i will see you all V SOON many loves LOOK AFTER YOURSELVES THIS HALLOWEEN DONT KNOCK ON STRANGERS DOORS KIDS DONT GET INTO VANS AND STUFF TRY NOT TO DRINK TO MUCH AT HALLOWEEN PARTIES FOR THE OLDER SKWAD MEMBERS DONT DRINK IF YOURE UNDERAGE KIDS ALCOHOL IS B A D 

lol whut

ANY WAY MUCH LOVE 

tea <333333333

 

i'll point out now that i'm really not very happy with this fic like theres no flow or really any story line but i just hope you'll all like it and love the kaisoo because we all love some  kaisoo lets be real. its a bit of a mess an unbetaed so excuse spelling mistakes but ROLL WITH ME PEEPS ok have fun i love you all <3333

 

 

 

 

 

“Sehun...” 

The phone trills loudly on the desk. 

“Sehun... Can you answer the phone please?” Kyungsoo hums agitatedly with his hand stuck down what will (hopefully) soon be a vortex inducer. He peers into the device, scanning the inside and wondering if it’s supposed to look like a cheese grater. 

The phone continues to ring. 

Kyungsoo huffs and looks up to find their secretary flicking through promo shots from his latest modelling shoot. “SEHUN! PHONE!” He screeches. 

Sehun looks up just as the phone stops its incessant bleeping. “Hyung, the phone isn’t ringing.” 

Kyungsoo drops his spanner onto the sawdust spattered work bench and smacks a palm against his forehead, sighing dramatically. “The phone isn’t ringing  _anymore_ , but it was ringing a second ago. You’re supposed to be a secretary, Sehun, it’s your job to answer the phone! That could have been an important call! You know I’m atoms away from finalising my research and one of these callers could have the missing puzzle piece!” He wails hysterically. 

Sehun crunches a bite out of an apple. He squints at Kyungsoo, leaning back on his chair. He’s never really understood the whole mad, neurotic scientist thing Kyungsoo has going on. “Damn, you’re really stressed lately. Something up with Jongin? Anyway, they’ll call back, hyung, don’t worry.” He shrugs before holding up two pictures. “Now, I need your opinion. Do you think I look more seductive holding the saxophone or the inflatable beach ball?” 

“Sehun—what? Why—I’m not stressed out I’m just—and there’s nothing going on with me and Jongin why would something be up with us there’s nothing to be up—I—“ Kyungsoo heaves a breath. “The saxophone. Just— the saxophone looks fine.” 

Sehun purses his lips and raises his eyebrows. “Whatever you say, hyung.” 

“I heard my name?” A voice echoes down the corridor. Jongin appears round the corner seconds later, looking like everything good in the world whilst wearing jeans and a dark blue jumper. 

Kyungsoo drops all of his tools and slings his lab coat off, dumping it on the floor and marching past Jongin before throwing himself face down on the ratty, patched up sofa in their makeshift living room. 

“Are you ok, Soo?” Jongin calls quietly, wandering forward and proffering a bucket of chicken he’s bought from the takeaway downstairs. Sometimes Kyungsoo wonders if it was a good idea to let Jongin choose where their base should be—he’s certain there must be better places for a paranormal science investigation lab than in a flat over a fried chicken shop. 

Jongin perches himself down on the sofa, picking up Kyungsoo’s outstretched legs one handed and dropping them in his lap so he doesn’t sit on them. 

Kyungsoo feels the movement and flips himself over so he can glare at Jongin. “No. I’m not fine at all. Our secretary is terrible.” He grabs a chicken leg from the bucket Jongin’s now set between them and rips a chunk off angrily with his teeth. 

Jongin chuckles and looks fondly down at Kyungsoo. “Well, I knew that. It’s just he’s the only person we can afford.”  Running a freelance ghost-hunting agency doesn’t always bring in the highest premiums. 

“I know I know... it’s not just that though.” Kyungsoo drags a hand down his face but doesn’t miss the concerned look Jongin gives him.  “Firstly this whole place is falling down but it’s not like we can afford anything better, then there’s the fact that I’m trying to build the vortex inducer but it doesn’t seem to be connecting with the right polarity and I don’t know  _why,_ I’m also so close to finishing  _my life’s work_  on analysis of the paranormal but there’s just tiny pieces of evidence missing, Chanyeol and Baekhyun’s proton packs are  _still_ broken and I—I don’t know.” 

 _And_ you _, Kim Jongin. You are a distraction, and you make me feel fluttery things when you look at me like that._ Kyungsoo doesn’t add the final thought out loud. 

Jongin frowns for a second and rests his hands on Kyungsoo’s socked feet, massaging them gently in a way he knows will calm the elder down. “You need to give yourself a break for once.” He mumbles, using the deep, calm tone of voice he always does when Kyungsoo’s in a state of constant worry. 

The  _Ghostbusters Paranormal Investigation and Extermination Unit_  was initially Kyungsoo’s brainchild after he and fellow physicists Park Chanyeol and Byun Baekhyun had lost their jobs as professors at Seoul National University. 

It’s a long story really, but apparently there’s a problem with trying to open five dimensions at once when you’re supposed to be giving a lecture to the president of the United States. Even the enthusiastic explanations about how new doors of science have been opened aren’t good enough to save you when you’ve blown up an entire laboratory block and splattered everyone in a two mile radius with green, gloopy ectoplasm. 

Despite the set-back in their careers, the event drew media attention and it became clear that the public needed the service of humane ghost removal. (Ok, the public  _definitely_ needed humane ghost removal; although to be fair they hadn’t intended on so many ghosts escaping when they originally opened the portals. Details, details.) 

So the team was set up, they worked from Chanyeol’s mother’s spare bedroom, and for the first few months everything went swimmingly. They’d been developing the right collection and containment equipment since they were teenagers, so they were fully prepared and it was  _easy._ Bust a few ghosts here, bust a few ghosts there, sorted. 

Jongin didn’t appear on the scene until a capture mission about four months in that went a little awry. He’d been working as an assistant on Seoul’s metro and had called the Ghostbusters when a spirit of an old engineer had started scaring people on the late night trains. 

Kyungsoo had noticed on arrival that Jongin was a fairly… decent looking guy (he’d nearly drooled on Baekhyun’s shoulder when the boy came out to greet them) and was so flustered that he’d managed to mess up the set up of one of the polarity fields and well... Jongin had accidentally been possessed for a few minutes. 

They’d sorted things out pretty quickly, but Jongin had caught the ghost-catching bug for life and had begged and squealed and pouted to be allowed to join the team. 

It transpired that he’d been a physics student as well until a few months ago, when his parents had both lost their jobs and he’d had to pull out of college because they could no longer afford tuition. 

Kyungsoo had taken pity on him, decided he’d be useful and told him he could have the job. (Kyungsoo was also blinded by his hotness, but he’ll never mention that he was once that shallow.) 

Either way, that was the point where things really started to go wrong. 

Well, they didn’t go wrong for the Ghostbusters as a whole; Jongin was smarter than he looked and also the most physically fit (he dances in his spare time), which made running after particularly athletic ghosts a lot easier. The team positively flourished as a foursome. 

It started going wrong largely for Kyungsoo’s sanity, because Jongin is  _good looking_. Jongin is sweet. Jongin is clever. Jongin is kind-hearted. Jongin saved Kyungsoo from being the third-wheel he usually became around Chanyeol and Baekhyun (lord knows what’s going on with that pair). 

Jongin cares about Kyungsoo, and makes him smile when he’s down. Jongin causes butterflies in Kyungsoo’s tummy, he causes heart palpitations and Kyungsoo’s knees go weak every time he throws a sleepy smile his way. 

This all means that Kyungsoo can’t focus on his work in the slightest. However, no part of him wants Jongin gone. He likes him being there more than he cares to admit. Dare he say it: _loves it._

Back in the present, Kyungsoo’s just about to finally let himself wind down with the relaxing sensation of Jongin still massaging him when a crash echoes through the apartment. 

“Yo, Sehun!” Kyungsoo hears Chanyeol holler before the sound of the two high-fiving reverberates round the walls. 

“Where’s Kyungsoo and Jong—oh wait, never mind they’re doing one of those little mating ritual things on the sofa again.” Baekhyun hums, popping a grape in his mouth from the fruit bowl on the kitchen bench. 

Kyungsoo feels his cheeks bleed with colour and he struggles to sit upright, yanking his legs out of Jongin’s lap. “What the hell are you talking about Baek?” He snaps and his eyes narrow as Baekhyun sits down in an armchair opposite with a sly smirk on his face. 

“Oh by all means continue, don’t let me interrupt anything.” He says, picking up a magazine and flicking through it nonchalantly. 

“W-we weren’t doing anything.” Jongin fumbles. 

Baekhyun doesn’t even look up. “Of course not honey.” 

Kyungsoo closes his eyes and reminds himself that he’s survived this long without killing Baekhyun; he can manage just a little longer. He flicks a concerned glance Jongin’s way and finds the boy fiddling with the hem of his shirt, his cheeks tinged pink. 

Kyungsoo’s heart drops a little. He wishes he knew what Jongin was thinking sometimes. Kyungsoo finds reading people’s body language difficult at the best of times, and it doesn’t help when his own feelings are tangled up in a mess. 

Sometimes he thinks maybe,  _just maybe_ , Jongin might like him too. Other times, the boy just seems awkward and embarrassed, especially when he’s being teased by Chanyeol and Baekhyun. He always protests too, like he doesn’t want anyone to get the idea that he and Kyungsoo are any more than friends. 

Kyungsoo stands up abruptly. When he gets to thinking like this he wants to cry, but he can’t allow that to happen. “Right, I’m going to fix the proton packs. We need them.” 

He stalks back into the workshop and pulls his coat on, swallowing thickly and forcing himself to get on with his work. Just as he picks up a blow torch Chanyeol appears in front of him with raised eyebrows. 

“You’re doing it again, aren’t you?” He says, just a touch patronising. Goddamn idiot is clearly spending too much time with Baekhyun. 

“Doing what?” 

“Doing that thing where you think Jongin isn’t in love with you and then you get all sad because you’re oblivious to the fact that he stares at you like you are the sun and he is some poor, poor plant in desperate need of photosynthesis.” 

“What?” 

“I studied biology for a while before I swapped to physics; occasionally I have biological episodes.” 

Kyungsoo stares blankly at Chanyeol and wonders how he’s been friends with this man since high school. 

“I’m just saying.” Chanyeol says, nodding sympathetically. 

Kyungsoo ignores him and goes back to reconnecting the power supplies to the proton packs. He’s lucky it’s a quick and easy task (without Chanyeol’s interference) because the phone rings again and this time Sehun actually manages to answer it. 

“Mmkay... mmkay... yeah, alright they’ll be there in a minute.” He says. “Guys! Jongdae’s causing trouble again. He’s down in the library as usual. ‘Says if you get him this time he’ll let you study him here in the lab.”  

Kyungsoo rolls his eyes (Jongdae has become some what of a familiar face to the Ghostbusters), ditching his coat and heading straight for the wardrobe to pull out the oh-so-flattering beige jumpsuits (a ‘present’—read as stolen—from Jongin’s former workplace and now with the Ghostbusters logo emblazoned on the back). Ghost busting is the one of the few things he finds easy, like he was born to do it and everything is dropped to make way for a capture. No matter what his emotional turmoil is, busting comes first, and it never fails to make him feel good. 

Chanyeol, Baekhyun and Jongin appear beside him in an instant and this is the part where Kyungsoo starts smiling. They suit themselves up, grab their equipment and do a few last minute checks. 

They run through the process like a well oiled machine, with no stopping or hesitating. 

“We all ready?” Kyungsoo says, grabbing the keys to the ever-famed Ghostbusters van. 

“Ready.” Chanyeol nods. 

“Ready.” Baekhyun shoots him a wink. 

“Ready.” Jongin grins at him. 

“Let’s go bust some ghosts.” 

 

***

 

The team stand on the steps of Seoul Central Library and gaze up at the imposing building. It’s filled to the brim with ghosts, but most of them live fairly peaceful lives and don’t bother the living. 

One of the exceptions to that rule is Kim Jongdae. He’s not a malicious ghost by any means, but he is most definitely a trouble maker. 

They’re greeted at the reception by Mrs Shin, a kindly old lady whose been dealing with the ghosts for years. “I’m sorry to have to call you out boys, but he’s been messing around in the children’s section this time, and I’ve already had three wet themselves.” 

“Ah, don’t worry Mrs Shin. We’ll sort him out.” Kyungsoo reassures. 

“Where did you last see him?” Jongin asks, and as he looks up the sunlight from one of the high windows catches him just perfectly and he positively glows. 

Kyungsoo curses the heavens for giving him such a glorious skin tone. No one should be able to look that good wearing such a sickly beige colour, but apparently Jongin can. This is really  _not_  the time for him to be getting distracted. 

“He was in the storage room here on the left. I think he’s still—“A loud bang comes from behind the closed door. “Yes, he’s definitely still in there.” 

The team thank her and head towards the storeroom, smiling awkwardly at the people who stop to stare at them or pull out their phones to take a picture. 

When they step inside, the room is black. 

Kyungsoo fumbles along the wall and manages to find a light switch. As the lights flicker on one by one, there is a definite scene of devastation. 

Books are scattered all over the floor, cardboard boxes ripped and labelling cards muddled up with funny faces drawn on them. 

“Oh, it’s you.” A voice drawls from the back of the room. 

Jongdae’s floating in mid air, pouting in almost disappointment. “I didn’t expect you to get here so early.”

Kyungsoo drops the specialised ghost storage system on the floor and kicks the floor button, opening it up ready. “Jongdae, be a friend and just get in the box.” 

“Nope.” Jongdae grins shaking his head “I’m not playing easy with you today. I’m  _bored_  Kyungsoo.” 

Jongdae is a twenty-something ‘50s bad boy, killed in a motorbike crash. Even in death, his thirst for trouble hasn’t died, and it’s even worse when he’s bored. Jongdae has become somewhat of a friend to the team with the amount of times he’s been captured (at least when he’s not being annoying). 

 “You’re just making things difficult, Jongdae. We’re going to get you in that box whether you like it or not.” Jongin deadpans from just behind Kyungsoo. 

“Oh hush, lover boy, go back to staring at his ass or whatever you were doing a few minutes ago.” 

Jongdae, unfortunately for some, also knows everything that goes on with the team on a personal level too.

Chanyeol stifles a giggle and Kyungsoo feels his cheeks flame. “Stop deflecting, Jongdae.”

“Bit touchy aren’t we?” The ghost teases, bobbing forward to peer at Kyungsoo. “Aw, he’s cute when he’s flustered.” 

Kyungsoo rolls his eyes, powering up his proton pack. He doesn’t have time for ghost games today, and Jongdae is already doing his head in. 

The reassuring sounds of three other packs being loaded fills Kyungsoo’s ears and he’s relieved that they aren’t playing around tonight. 

Kyungsoo adjusts his stance and readies himself. “Ok, load for 6000 volts.” 

“Not so fast.” Jongdae grins, and before anyone can engage the stream of protons needed, he shoots upwards and starts zooming along the ceiling, cackling and sending a shower of books their way. 

Kyungsoo ducks, bracing himself for the impact of what looks to be several volumes of Shakespeare but the collision never comes and he looks up to find Jongin shielding them both with his pack. “I think he headed toward the back!” Jongin yells over the noise of an increasingly hyper Jongdae showering the room with litter. 

“Have Chan and Baek gone after him?” Kyungsoo shouts. 

“I think so!” Jongin replies, peering through the increasing tornado of mess to see the other members of the team struggling to keep up with the ghost. 

Baekhyun and Chanyeol round the corner, and Kyungsoo hears the sound of their proton packs being fired up. 

“Soo! We’re gonna need your help!” Baekhyun yells just as Kyungsoo and Jongin slide their way round the corner. 

Jongdae is trapped in the corner, still cackling manically as the neon pink of Chanyeol and Baekhyun’s proton beams contort themselves round his figure. The two combined are strong enough to hold Jongdae and stop him disappearing through any walls, but they won’t have enough power to actually manage to trap him. 

Jongin fires his beam as soon as he sets eyes on the ghost and between him, Baekhyun and Chanyeol they manage to slowly reel Jongdae in towards them, no matter how much he screams and fights. 

Kyungsoo grabs the polarised containment device, a small, metal box with black and yellow tape wrapped around it. He slides it across the floor, landing it perfectly under Jongdae before grabbing the open button and placing it by his right foot. 

“Powering up!” He yells to let the others know he’s ready. Kyungsoo feels the familiar rush of energy through his finger tips as the final fourth pink beam wraps itself around Jongdae. “Keep it steady on the descent!” He shouts to the others as they drag Jongdae in. 

Kyungsoo presses the open for the container and the strength of the mini vortex that opens is just enough to suck Jongdae inside with a final, defeated screech. 

The box snaps shut and the room at last falls silent. 

 

“Erm… we’re not supposed to clear this place up, are we?” Baekhyun says, looking around a little nervously. 

Books are shredded, thrown across the room and the bookshelves have toppled like rows of dominoes. 

“I hope not.” Jongin winces. 

“Well we can’t leave it like this can we?” Kyungsoo states firmly, hands on his hips. Mrs Shin works hard enough as it is and the last thing she needs is to be taking on a task like this. 

“I vote Chanyeol can stay for cleanup.” Baekhyun says. 

“I second that.” Jongin adds. 

“Hey what? Wait you can’t—“ 

“I’m glad we’re all in agreement then, Chanyeol can clear this place up.” 

Jongin nods and begins gathering his stuff as he, Baekhyun and Kyungsoo head for the door. 

“Bye Chan! Call us if you need picking up when you’re finished!” 

“Hey wait— WAIT! Don’t just—“ 

The door swings shut behind the team and Chanyeol sighs in defeat. 

 

***

 

“Hey, Jongin! Hey, hey, Jongin! Jongin, hey!” 

Jongin ignores the light, metallic tapping coming from inside the small grey box on the table in the workshop. He’s home alone and he doesn’t really feel like conversing with a ghost. 

“Jongiiiiiiiiin—“ 

“—What?” Jongin barks, glaring at the can. 

“Let me out Jongin, please? It’s really cramped in here.” 

“You’re a ghost Jongdae, deal with it.” 

“Now now, that’s not being a good sport is it.” 

“Nope.” 

“Aw Jongin please? Jongin? Jongiiiin? Jonginnie? Nini? Kyungsoo calls you that, doesn’t he? Ninibear—“ 

Jongin nearly rips the newspaper he’s reading in half. “If I let you out for a bit will you shut up?” 

“Of course I will.” 

Jongin gets up and marches over to the box. He’s probably going to get in tonnes of trouble for this and Jongdae rarely keeps his promises. “Will you get back in the box when I say so?” 

“Yes, yes, yes I will, now just let me out will you?” 

Jongin looks reluctantly at the box before he’s pressing the release and Jongdae pops out, cart wheeling midair. “Ooh it’s good to be free.” 

“You can stay out of the box until the other’s get home, alright? You have to not annoy me, run off, or get in my way until then.” Jongin huffs and settles himself down on the sofa, picking up his newspaper again. 

“So—“

“—AAAH!” Jongin shrieks, leaping about three feet in the air. “Jesus Christ, don’t do that.” 

Jongdae cackles, removing his head from where he’s stuck it  _through_ Jongin’s newspaper. “Got ya,” He teases. “Now Jonginnie, how’s that little crush coming along? Come on, tell Uncle Jongdae.” The ghost coos, whipping out a pair of ghostly spectacles and hovering in the armchair like a therapist. 

Jongin takes a deep breath, glaring at Jongdae. “It’s not a crush.” 

“Sorry, sorry, I forgot, you’re in love—“ 

“—I’m not!” Jongin tries to protest, but it sounds half-hearted even to his own ears. He purses his lips for a moment before whispering, “I don’t think he likes me like that.” 

Jongdae snorts, but motions for Jongin to continue. 

“I just seem to—I just seem to like him more every day.” He scratches his head thoughtfully. “I—god he’s just so  _brilliant_. He thinks up the most incredible theories and he builds the best new pieces of technology and I’m just—I’m in awe. He’s so handsome too, his eyes are gorgeous and I—why would he like me? I’m just... a university drop out, dark-skinned—“

“—Absolutely oblivious idiot.” Jongdae interjects. 

Jongin twiddles his fingers in his lap. “I—I don’t know...Do you really think so?” 

“Er, yes?” Jongdae says, looking incredulously at him. “I swear you’re both just—“ 

“WE’RE HOME!” Baekhyun’s voice echoes through the apartment, cutting the conversation dead. 

“Uh oh.” Jongdae grimaces. Baekhyun is not exactly his favourite member of the Ghostbusting team, largely because he rivals him in the sassy stakes.

Jongin gasps and leaps to his feet, rushing into the kitchen to help Kyungsoo with some shopping bags. “Hey, let me get them.” He flaps, noticing how he struggles. 

“O-oh, thank you.” Kyungsoo mumbles. Their fingers tangle as Jongin tries to get a hold of the plastic and Kyungsoo flushes. “Um, why is Jongdae... out?” 

The ghost cackles as he floats around the ceiling, throwing screwed up pieces of paper at a shrieking Baekhyun. 

“Oh... he—we were talking about some—things.” Jongin ducks as Jongdae zooms over his head just a little too close for comfort. 

“Oh,” Kyungsoo says blandly. 

The air in the kitchen turns stale as the pair drop the shopping bags onto the counter tops. Jongin coughs nervously, side-eyeing Kyungsoo and wondering if he’s done something wrong. 

“Come on now lovebirds, no need to look so blue.” Jongdae smirks, tonguing the inside of his cheek as he floats back into the kitchen. 

Much to the spectre’s delight, both Jongin and Kyungsoo blush awkwardly and flap their hands, muttering lame excuses and purposefully avoiding eye contact. 

Jongdae smiles angelically. “I was only  _joking_  you guys. No need to look so tense over a  _joke_.” He throws a wink at Jongin before he’s tumbling out of the door, once again setting his sights on Baekhyun for a spot of target practice. 

Kyungsoo sighs. “We’re never going to get him back in that box, you know.” He says, smiling softly and reaching to put a packet of sugar into the cupboard. 

“I— sorry. He was really annoying me and I thought it’d be ok to— sorry.” Jongin adds awkwardly. 

“It’s fine. I was thinking maybe he could— stay out of the box for a bit. I’m guessing he’s going to be staying here for a while whilst we study him so… I’ve been reading ghost welfare arguments in the papers recently as well and I’m not sure how big the vortex is in there so…” 

“—I CAN HAUNT HERE FOR A BIT?” Jongdae screeches zooming back into the room straight through Kyungsoo. 

Kyungsoo gasps at the icy coldness that shoots through him before he fixes Jongdae with a glare. “Not if you keep doing that.” 

Jongdae pouts. 

“But yes if you agree to stay home… and not cause trouble… and not break things… and not scare people… just… don’t be yourself, ok?” 

Jongdae strokes his chin, smirking. “I think I can manage that. Deal. I WILL BE OCCUPYING THE WATER TANK EVERYBODY, SO YES FEAR THOSE WEIRD GURGLING NOISES!” 

Kyungsoo winces because Jongdae really is  _loud._  “I’m setting up a forcefield at the end of the street, thats as far as you’ll be able to get. I’d prefer it if you stayed home though.” 

“Yes mum.” Jongdae mock salutes the cheekiest grin plastered across his face. 

They’ve probably made a terrible,  _terrible_ decision. 

 

***

 

One of the side effects of Kyungsoo’s job is the broad imagination it gives. 

He’s always struggled with nightmares since he was a little boy, but being in contact with the paranormal— some good, some bad and some very very ugly— means the reality can sometimes be a lot worse than even some of the wildest dreams. 

It’s on a night a few weeks after Jongdae’s capture that Kyungsoo experiences his most vivid dream for a while— full of disembodied voices, creepy crawlies and spooks. 

The fear pulses through him, racking his body with shivers as the noises and the blood red eyes creep ever closer. Voices taunt him, reminding him of all the people he’s lost, telling him that he will be next. Spindly fingers wrap themselves around his limbs, long nails trace down his arms and the hands get tighter and tighter, colder and colder. The voices get louder, threatening and the skeletal faces begin to cloud Kyungsoo vision, overwhelming him until— 

“ _AAAAAAAAAH!”_ Kyungsoo jolts himself awake with a scream that rips itself from the very core of his body. His limbs shake with adrenaline as tears start to slide down his cheeks, as his brain contorts the shadows in his room into something frightening. 

Jongdae seeps through the door, looking paler and more ghostly than normal. “K-kyungsoo? Are you alright?” 

Kyungsoo clamps a hand over his mouth to stop the sobs coming out before he’s up and out of his bed like a shot. 

He sprints across the hallway and throws himself at Jongin’s bedroom door, relived to find it unlocked. “N-n-n-Nini!” He calls, fumbling through the blackness in Jongin’s room. 

Jongin startles awake the moment he hears Kyungsoo’s choked cry and immediately springs from his bed, reaching out into the darkness and catching hold of him. 

The moment Kyungsoo feels Jongin’s arms around him the floodgates open properly and he screams and cries himself hoarse into Jongin’s chest. 

“Sh, sh, sh, I’m here Soo, I’m here. That’s it, let it out, I’m here.” Jongin mumbles into Kyungsoo’s hair, holding him as tightly as he can and rubbing his back soothingly. 

Kyungsoo clutches at his sleep t-shirt, fingers balling into tight fists. “I-I was s-so s-scared.” He whimpers, tears falling in fat droplets and showing no signs of letting up. 

“I know baby, I know but it’s over now, ok? Come to bed, look, let’s go to sleep, it’s all alright, you’re safe now, I’m here.” Jongin reassures, guiding Kyungsoo to his bed and letting him slip in so he’s next to the wall. 

He climbs in after and pulls the covers up around them snugly, wrapping his arms around Kyungsoo again as the boy clings to Jongin’s side and buries his head in the crook of his neck. 

Jongin holds him close as Kyungsoo finally begins to calm down, as his breaths begin to come in soft, fluttery patterns. 

Baekhyun appears at the door, rubbing his eye sleepily with a dozing Chanyeol leaning against him. Jongdae hovers in the background looking slightly anxious. 

“Is Soo okay?” Baekhyun asks. 

Jongin looks down and brushes Kyungsoo’s hair out of his eyes, relieved to find that he appears to have slipped into a slumber again. “Yeah, I think so.” 

Baekhyun smiles lazily. “Good. We’re back off to bed then.” He says before grabbing Chanyeol’s hand and shutting the door behind them. 

Jongin smiles and snuggles down but just before he closes his eyes a head pops through the wall. 

“JUST KISS ALREADY!” 

“Shut  _up_ Jongdae.” 

***

 

“Baek? Are you getting weird EMF readings?” Kyungsoo frowns, staring out of the window with his trusty detector. It’s a rainy Saturday and there’s a powerful thunderstorm raging outside. As usual the team are monitoring things but something seems  _off_. 

Baekhyun joins him, watching the dial of his own device flick towards the red end of the spectrum. “Uh huh. Weirder than for a normal thunderstorm.” 

A peal of thunder rumbles across the sky and a squeak is heard from the sofa. 

“It’s just thunder Jongin.” Baekhyun teases, turning to look at the pile of blankets under which the boy hides. 

There’s some rustling around and then the top of Jongin’s face appears, and although Kyungsoo can’t see his lips he just  _knows_ he’s pouting. “I don’t like thunderstorms. I don’t like how the sky gets so grey, I don’t like the noises and I don’t like the light flashes. You’re horrible.” 

Baekhyun snorts and rolls his eyes. “You two are just  _perfect_. One’s scared of thunderstorms and the other’s scared of nightmares. Talk about a fairy tale.” 

“B-baek y-you—“ 

Another clap of thunder echoes around the apartment and Jongin shrieks, leaping underneath his blankets again so fortunately he can’t see Kyungsoo melt into a blushing, stuttering mess. 

The lights blow at the next flash of lightning and Kyungsoo lets out a frustrated sigh. Something isn’t right today. 

All of the various meters and readings the Ghostbusters are taking show electromagnetic activity that is  _way_ to high for a thunderstorm. 

Sure there’s always some increased activity seeing as thunderstorms  _are_ electric storms, but never to this extent. The meters have been trying to cope with readings so high they go off their scales. 

Baekhyun and Chanyeol are tapping around in the workshop, trying to make sense of graphs and data, while Jongin still cowers on the sofa. 

Taking pity on their youngest member, Kyungsoo heads towards the pile of blankets and sits down gingerly, hoping he doesn’t squash the younger boy. “Jongin? Are you alright? It’s just thunder you know.” 

The blankets flap open at one corner. “Get in here.” Jongin commands. 

Kyungsoo rolls his eyes and ducks under the blankets, face heating up as he realises he’s basically lying on Jongin’s chest. “You’re such a baby.” He moans. 

Jongin pouts adorably, flinching as there are more thunder claps. “Shut up, I’m scared. And seeing as I cuddle you through your nightmares it’s only fair you return the favour.” Jongin snakes his arms round Kyungsoo’s waist suddenly and pulls him flush against him, sighing contentedly. 

Kyungsoo screams internally and tries not to wriggle because feeling anymore of Jongin’s solid chest would not do his heart any favours. He distracts himself from his predicament by doing what he does best— physics rambling. “There’s something not right today.” 

“You keep saying.” Jongin says, sounding a little grumpy and a little like he might fall asleep. 

“There’s so much activity but it’s not like there’s any reason for it. I mean, Hallowe’en is soonish but it’s still a week or two away. There’s no way the parallel universes can be aligning  _already_  so what’s causing this?” Kyungsoo squints at the fleecy Pororo pattern on one of the blankets and tries to make sense of things. 

“I checked the planetary alignments this morning and there’s nothing there. None of the nebulae nearby are churning out enough stars to cause this much of a shift. That has to be some sort of explanation because the last time the readings were this high was when— oh my god Jongin.” Kyungsoo gasps and bolts upright. 

Jongin looks bewildered and a little ruffled, looking up at Kyungsoo in confusion. 

Kyungsoo’s jaw drops open. “Jongin the last time— the  _only_ time I’ve ever seen readings this high was when we opened the dimensions.” 

“And… what does that mean?” 

“We caused a massive,  _massive_ magnetic shift. We opened portals across time and space.” 

“And?” 

“Imagine the universe as a cake made of layers. Millions and millions of layers. We, by accident, managed to open 5 of those layers, which brought so many ghosts into our world. The thing is… the further down those layers you go the more… malicious the worlds become.” 

“So… there’s a big magnetic shift happening right now because… there are dimensions being opened? Or at least that’s what you’re hypothesising?” 

“Yes.” Kyungsoo says, leaping to his feet and frantically running to look out of the window. “The thing is… you can only open about five layers by accident— just like we did. Any more and you’re talking serious powers that we as humans and our equipment don’t have. You can’t just do that accidentally. And these readings are insane. Our equipment has never  _broken_  before.” 

“So these readings are higher… meaning… meaning that someone else is deliberately opening portals. More than you did before. ” Jongin’s face drains of colour _._

 _“Yes_.” 

Kyungsoo sprints through to the workshop where Baekhyun and Chanyeol stand scratching their heads. “We just— we can’t explain it Soo. It’s never been like this before.” Chanyeol states glumly, gesturing to one of the computers that can only seem to flash intermittently. 

“I can. I can explain it.” Kyungsoo says, his hands shaking as he begins typing equations and formula into a modified typewriter. “We’ve seen readings like this before— except these are higher.” 

“Have we?” 

“When we covered everyone in goo. When we opened dimensions Chanyeol.” 

“But we haven’t opened any dimensions this time.” Baekhyun says, peering over Kyungsoo’s shoulder as he works frantically. “At least I don’t think we have.” He looks uncertain for a moment.

“No. But someone is trying to and I think they’re succeeding.” Kyungsoo finishes typing and flops back in his chair, watching the screen anxiously. 

“But to get readings this high we’re talking someone whose messing with… dark matter. That’s— Soo if someone’s trying to crack our world open with that sort of power then— that’s a goddamn invasion.” 

Kyungsoo twists his mouth into a grimace. There’s a chance this could all be nothing serious but—He can’t leave this uninvestigated. “Right, get suited up, and do it quickly. Sehun!” Kyungsoo yells, throwing a stress ball across the room at Sehun’s head, whose snoozing on the sofa. “I need you to be manning those telephone lines, tell me  _immediately_ if any calls come in reporting spectral activity that’s higher than normal.” 

Sehun glances around the room and takes in the flashing machines and the various alarms and bells that are trilling. For once, he looks slightly concerned and heads to the telephone. “Yes boss.” 

“Jongin! When you’re uniformed up I need you to gather every last piece of equipment we have a put it in the van.” 

Jongin nods, looking a little terrified and ruffled. “A-are we… Are we going to be alright Soo?” 

Kyungsoo sucks in a shaky breath. “I—I don’t know Jongin. I’m trying to triangulate the electricity fields and see where the source is. We’re going to have to try and cut this off because… this is more serious than I thought.” 

Jongin gulps but sprints off anyway, knotting his hands together nervously. 

Kyungsoo keeps his eyes fixed on the screen watching the lay lines and electricity fields bounce across the city, desperately hoping that they’ll fix on a spot soon. He wrestles his way into his jumpsuit, heart thudding uncomfortably. “Jongdae!” He yells. 

Jongdae materialises in front of him in a heartbeat, his usual cat-like grin replaced with a worried frown. “I feel weird.” 

“Weird? How?” 

“Like… I’m buzzing. But not in the good, party way.  I feel like all of my particles are charged or something.” 

“We think someones interfering and trying to— well we don’t know what they’re trying to do.” 

Baekhyun, Chanyeol and Jongin all shuffle back into the room, proton packs on their backs. “Any idea where this is coming from?” Baekhyun asks. 

The phone trills loudly all of sudden, making everyone jump. 

Sehun answers it, his hands looking a little unsteady. “H-hello, you’ve reached Ghostbusters HQ. How may I help you?” 

Kyungsoo can hear the sound of someone talking frantically on the other end of the line. 

Sehun nods every now and then, scribbling down bits of information before he ends the call with a quiet goodbye. “That was an old lady who was walking down by the university. She said that for a moment when there was a lightning bolt the sky actually cracked open. Now I know I’m usually sceptical about all this but she seemed genuinely scared and I don’t like the way your machines have been buzzing all day… This is some big scary science-y shit isn’t it?” 

“You could say that,” Chanyeol grimaces. 

A loud ringing suddenly emits from the computer where Kyungsoo was working. “We can pinpoint the energy source.” Gradually, neon lines match up until— 

“It’s Namsan Tower.” 

“That’s a useful spot. High up, easy to control, good signal. We need to stop whoever’s playing with this right now because that’s the sort of location that could produce some serious energy.” Chanyeol, probably for the first time in his life, looks completely serious. 

“The problem is we still don’t know who’s doing this.” Baekhyun sighs. 

“Either way, if you play with fire you’re going to get burnt, and this guy might as well have a blowtorch and a petrol drenched bonfire with the damage he’s gonna cause.” 

Kyungsoo rolls his eyes at the little snippet of non-serious Chanyeol seeping through. “Let’s move. Jongdae, I think we’re gonna need you to come with us.” 

“Yes boss.” Jongdae salutes, flicking the collar up of his ghostly leather jacket. 

The team form a circle, their hands in the middle. “Let’s go bust some ghosts.” Kyungsoo says, and they all smile despite the unnerving feeling settling in everyone’s guts. 

Kyungsoo knows his team is good, but good enough to save an entire city? He doesn’t know, but it looks like they’re going to have to be whether they’re ready or not. 

 

***

 

Namsan Tower is lit up in its usual glory by the time the Ghostbusters arrive. An almost night-like darkness has fallen across Seoul despite the fact it’s only early evening. 

Kyungsoo shivers at the chill in the air, readjusting the proton pack on his back and feeling grateful for the gentle warmth it emits (that’s probably from the fractionally radioactive ingredients—  but he tries not to think about that). 

“Couldn’t we have stolen some heavy duty coats from Jongin’s old work?” Baekhyun complains, pulling the sleeves of his boiler suit down over his hands. 

Jongdae giggles. “Sucks to be you, I can’t feel the cold.” 

“Jongdae you’re dead. I think you’ll find it sucks to be  _you_.” Chanyeol huffs, slinging an arm around Baekhyun and rubbing his arm to try and warm him up. 

Jongin merely lets his breath out in a puff of smoke. 

“Can we set up a kinetic forcefield round the perimeter? Just in case…” 

Baekhyun nods, picking what looks like an old washing machine drum out of Jongin’s arms and dropping it onto the floor just outside the visitors entrance. “I’ll do it.” 

“Is that for keeping things out or keeping things in?” Jongdae questions. 

Kyungsoo pauses for a moment then grimaces. “Both.” 

The team keep walking, the air around them filling with a purple glow as Baekhyun powers up the forcefield. 

The atmosphere is generally spooky, with night falling, the clashing storm and the rustle of wind in the trees. 

“You don’t think it’s going to be those stupid high school kids again, do you? They were a pain in the butt last time.” Chanyeol sighs all of a sudden. 

“If you mean those high school stupids who tried to summon a demon?  _Definitely_ not them. They couldn’t get Satan to turn up to a  _party_  how are they supposed to be opening dimensions.” Baekhyun squints up at Chanyeol, thwacking him on the arm. “Idiot.” 

“Is it just me or is it cold in here? Like, colder than outside and that was pretty damn cold. ” Jongin shudders as they begin to climb up to the main observation deck of the tower. 

The lights are all blackened out and Seoul’s night scape reflects in the glossy marble floor. It’s eerie to see the tower now, in complete silence, without the hustle and bustle of the public that usually visit. 

Kyungsoo nods, pulling his pocket EMF reader out. “Very cold. Slight metallic taste to the air too, suggestion some form of electromagnetic radiation. Here’s hoping that we’re talking the long wave section or we’re in for some serious ionisation.” He adds a little grimly. 

Jongin forces a laugh out, but it sounds a little strained. 

“Shall we split up, see if we can find anything?” Chanyeol asks. 

“Yeah. Stay in pairs. You can take Jongdae with you.” Kyungsoo says. “I-I’d um… prefer it if you stayed with me.” He mumbles to Jongin. 

Baekhyun grimaces as Jongdae and Chanyeol high-five. “You owe me for this.” 

Kyungsoo rolls his eyes as the group turn and head round one side of the central pillar. 

Jongin’s presence by his side is reassuring, and Kyungsoo’s legs feel a tad less shaky as they advance with caution. 

One of the glass windows seems to be reflecting a  bright light, almost like a television screen, and Jongin taps Kyungsoo’s arm, pointing. “What’s that?” He mouths. 

Kyungsoo frowns, biting his lip before he nods and indicates that Jongin should follow him. They walk slowly round the central hub and Kyungsoo’s EMF reader goes wild. 

“It’s something… unnatural.” He hums. 

They round the corner and Jongin gasps. 

The  _thing_  that’s producing the light and a small metallic buzzing noise appears to be a large, gloopy ball made of electric blues and deep purples. It hovers a few feet in the air, the glossy material contorting and twisting around itself. “What the  _hell_ is that?” Jongin hisses. 

Kyungsoo’s eyes widen. His EMF reader goes wild, unable to read high enough. “It… It looks like a ball of ectoplasmic matter. Charged ectoplasmic matter. I—I never seen something like this before. I’ve read about it in theory books and it’s every ghost hunters dream and it’s… it’s  _beautiful_.” 

“But can it kill us?” 

“Erm, yes. Especially if it’s in the wrong hands. Ectoplasm is fairly harmless when its on its own, but  _charged_  ectoplasm means it has the capability to store and process energy. This… this could potentially make a portal or—“ 

“—or rip open the very seams of Earth’s dimensional structure.” 

“Yeah. That could happen too.” Kyungsoo concedes. 

“Can we… get rid of it?” 

“We can try… Balls of matter like this occur when there’s been a little bit of stitching— so to speak— that’s come undone. All we need to do is push it back in and stitch the hole up. Easier said than done seeing as it’s charged matter but—“ 

“Oh now, now, now we can’t have that can we? That would ruin all of my fun.” A cold, detached voice suddenly drawls from behind them. 

Kyungsoo’s blood runs cold and the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. 

“T-that wasn’t Baekhyun or C-Chanyeol… was it?” Jongin whispers, his body tense. Kyungsoo isn’t sure he’s still breathing. 

“No. The only person it could have been is Jongdae fucking around but I don’t think he’s that dumb.” 

“T-then who—“ 

“Oh come on, come on, do turn around!” The voice coos again. “The backs of your heads really aren’t the prettiest sight to see.” 

Kyungsoo and Jongin gulp in unison before slowly but surely turning around. 

“That’s better.” The man that stands in front of them has a sly, cruel smirk twisting on his lips. He’s pale, thin and his eyes glow ever so slightly red. The suit he’s wearing looks a little ripped and tattered at the edges but otherwise he looks fairly smart and presentable. 

“I-It’s you!” Jongin exclaims, pointing a figure at the spectre. “Y-you— I’ve heard about you—“ 

“Kwon Jiyong, a pleasure to meet you.” The ghost says, reaching his hand out and taking Jongin’s. 

Jongin shudders at the ice cold feeling that stabs at his fingertips. 

“Now do tell me what it is you’ve heard about me, I’m ever so curious.” 

“Y-you— you’re a demon. A chief demon. Not  _the_ chief demon because that’s Satan but— you’re pretty close.” 

Jiyong smiles, tilting his head to the side in what would have been a cute gesture had it not been for the stony stare in his eyes. “That’s right,” He says, quirking an eyebrow. “And you are the famous Ghostbusters am I right? I was wondering how long it would take you to get here.” 

“What are you doing Jiyong?” Kyungsoo says, voice coming out a lot stronger than he feels. 

“Me? I’m… well, I’m endeavouring to take over your planet. Hell is getting ever so crowded theses days, so many malicious spirits. They’re irritating me, and we need more space.” 

“Well unfortunately, I can’t let you do that.” Kyungsoo’s voice continues without a waver. 

Jongin is momentarily in awe at his greatness. He’s pretty sure he’s moments away from wetting himself.  

Jiyong pouts, raising his eyebrows. “And why is that?” 

“Because… because this city,  _this planet,_ is my home. I have to protect it. That’s my job. It may be far from perfect and in need of a lot of changes but there is good here and I… I love it.” 

Jiyong squints, furrowing his eyebrows. “I don’t understand love. What’s the point?” He waves his hand dreamily in the air.  “So, let’s move on because the heartfelt speech, although short, has still managed to bore me senseless.” 

Jongin senses the slight slump in Kyungsoo’s posture, an almost undetectable slip in confidence. Seeing it feels like someone’s punched him in the gut and Jongin has the overwhelming urge to take Kyungsoo’s hand. 

He doesn’t know what gets into him but he does just that— he steps forwards and quietly slips his fingers in between Kyungsoo’s; pressing their palms together in a gentle squeeze. 

Kyungsoo’s heart stops for a minute, but then he realises he’s still standing in front of the man who is essentially the prince of Hell and it starts racing again. 

“Oh  _dear_.” Jiyong sighs, noting the now intertwined fingers. “Oh this is going to be a little awkward.” 

“W-what do you mean?” Jongin asks, stepping closer to Kyungsoo’s side. 

“I’m sensing this is more than a fuckbuddy relationship and  _ugh_ , that means complications. Humans, humans, fussy little humans and their  _feelings_. Takes up so much of my time.” 

Both Kyungsoo and Jongin blush and stutter awkwardly, but tellingly never release each other’s hands. 

Jiyong rolls his eyes. “Oh  _god_ , you’re one of  _those.”_ He theatrically rests his head in his hands. “There’s not even been a confession. Do you see now why this is such a good place to colonise? Everything is so petty.” 

“I-I don’t understand.” Jongin whispers, eyes flicking anxiously to Kyungsoo. 

“Ah, the innocent little Kim Jongin. I remember watching you join this little troupe. You’ve got a way to go yet. I’m talking about the fact that humans are so hideously obsessed with love. Ooh, we all have to find love.”

“Why does that matter now?” 

“Because people that have the stupid idea that they’re  _in love_  always fight back. That is major inconvenience for me because I need energy— human energy.” 

Realisation dawns across Kyungsoo’s face as the words hit home and his stomach drops. “You’re going to use us to open the portal.” He whispers to no one in particular. 

“Well I’m glad one half of this pairing has some sense.” Jiyong clucks his tongue. “A ball of intergalactic energy is fairly useless until it’s harnessed. In order to do that I need human energy—it’s the strongest in the universe you know, all so passionate and complex and deep and meaningful. Boring, but useful. You’re very highly charged, you humans.” 

Kyungsoo shakes his head, tugging on Jongin’s hand and pulling him behind him. “I’m not going to let you use him and throw him through a vortex.” He says fiercely, heart thudding manically in his chest. 

“Good. I don’t need him. What I need, Do Kyungsoo, is  _you._ ” Jiyong’s smile twists cruelly. 

“Why do you need me?” Kyungsoo frowns. 

“You’re the most passionate. You’re the brains behind this entire establishment, the founder, the  _leader._ You’re an energy gold mine.” Jiyong takes a few lazy steps forwards; the clocking of his shoes echoing around the room. 

 A sly smile draws itself on Jiyong’s face. “Oh look at you both, so unprepared.” And then in an instant, before either Jongin or Kyungsoo can react Jiyong is lunging forwards. 

An ear-piercing scream fills the air and Kyungsoo’s body contorts in agony, before he drops to the ground as a dead weight. 

Jiyong has vanished. 

Jongin’s breath gets stuck in his chest and he feels so helpless as he just stands there and stares at Kyungsoo’s lifeless body, wishing that all of this is some twisted nightmare. He knows he should do something, shout or run for help, but his body simply won’t move. 

Suddenly, Kyungsoo bolts upright and opens his eyes. 

Jongin sees his chest inflate as he takes in a deep breath before he stands in an oddly robotic motion. 

Kyungsoo looks himself over, brushing dirt off his sleeve. He finally looks up and makes eye contact with Jongin and the words he utters send Jongin’s blood to ice. “He’s rather short, isn’t he?” 

Jongin’s hands are shaking violently. “K-Kyungsoo?” 

“Kyungsoo can’t hear you, dear.” 

“W-What— no— give him back!” Jongin gasps, cold panic starting to creep down his spine. 

“Not until I’m done with him.” 

“Jongin! Jongin! We heard a scream, are you ok?” Baekhyun yells, sprinting round the corner with Chanyeol and Jongdae. 

“Absolutely marvellous.” The words are spoken by Kyungsoo’s voice, but it’s not quite right. There’s a cold, metallic ring to it and Baekhyun realises the instant he hears it that something is dreadfully, dreadfully wrong. 

“Oh God, is he—?” 

“Oh I’m not dealing with another explanation,” Kyungsoo, no,  _Jiyong_ , rolls his eyes. He holds his hand out for Baekhyun to take. “Kwon Jiyong, it’s a pleasure to meet you. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a dimension to unlock.” 

Jongdae whizzes forwards suddenly, hovering beside a still frozen Jongin. “It’s  _you._ ” He hisses, glaring at Jiyong. “What the hell have you done with Kyungsoo?” 

“You’re a ghost— you should know I’ve possessed him. Are you dumb?” 

Jongdae bristles. “Give him back.” He states coldly. 

“What are you planning on doing with our friend, if you don’t mind me asking.” Chanyeol asks, keeping his gaze fixed firmly on Jiyong. 

Jiyong gestures to the floating energy ball. “I’m  _planning_ on opening a portal, but everyone seems to be getting in my way.” 

“So what you’re saying is you’re going to use Kyungsoo’s energy to open your vortex and then I suppose you’re planning on leaving his body floating in the middle of space.” 

“Well yes, that was my plan.” 

“H-his body?” Jongin’s voice comes out as a tiny whisper and the reality of the situation really starts to hit home. Just a couple of hours ago he was cuddling with Kyungsoo on the sofa and now he has to face the reality that he might lose him forever. 

“No one could survive having all of their energy drawn from them.” Chanyeol says, placing a protective arm over Jongin’s shoulder. 

Jongin is wise enough to realise that there are very limited options. He trusts that Baekhyun and Chanyeol will work something out and will try, but the chances of it working against someone as strong as Jiyong are… slim. 

“Now I don’t know how much you know about me Kwon Jiyong but I can tell you now I’m not going to stand here and let you do that to my friend.” Jongdae folds his arms. 

Jiyong scoffs. “Friend? Humans and ghosts are friends now?” 

“Of course.” Jongdae sticks his chin out defiantly. “At least he didn’t just exorcise me.” 

Jiyong pauses for a second, as if he’s listening intently. “Nothing interesting.” He says after a while. “Human stuff.” 

“What do you mean?” Chanyeol asks, looking as if he’s seconds away from reaching for his proton pack. 

Jiyong strolls towards the energy ball. “Kyungsoo’s whining about boring human stuff. Love, and the rest of it. I’m sick of hearing your name Kim Jongin, it’s like listening to a broken record. ” He hovers his fingers by the energy, and a small line of electricity shoots out from the ball to his finger. 

The storm still raging outside, but its intensity momentarily increases when Jiyong moves towards the energy ball. 

“D-don’t hurt him!” Jongin yells, his whole body shaking in terror. 

Chanyeol slips his arm down under Jongin’s body and squeezes his side in hopes of offering some comfort. 

“I won’t hurt him.” Jiyong says. “Well, maybe a little. Or perhaps a lot. If he’s dead straight away then great he won’t feel a thing but if not… he’ll be crushed alive by a force stronger than 1,000 black holes.” 

Jongin is pretty sure that Chanyeol is entirely holding his weight up now seeing as his knees have buckled. 

“Well then, lets get this show on the road.” Jiyong says, taking one heartbreaking step closer to the energy mass. 

“JIYONG NO!” Baekhyun and Chanyeol scream in union, and Jongin can’t find his voice as he realises there is a tight lump sitting in his throat. 

Jiyong contorts Kyungsoo’s usual gummy grin into a sly smirk. “Spooked ya.” He teases. 

Without warning he suddenly leaps for the energy mass again, but then something entirely unprecedented happens. 

Jongdae leaps forward, and then promptly disappears. 

Kyungsoo freezes on the spot, his face overcast by a blank stare. “Like hell am I letting him throw Kyungsoo in that thing.” He says— but it’s not quite Kyungsoo. 

It’s not quite Jiyong either and Jongin’s heart leaps as he detects the distinct Jongdae-tint to Kyungsoo’s words. 

“As if I would let  _you_  ruin everything for me!” Kyungsoo hisses again but this time the dangerous metallic ring is back. 

The storm outside suddenly increases dramatically, to the point where the howling wind, lashing rain and loud claps of thunder nearly drown out all other noises. 

The energy mass goes wild, sparking of mini lightning bolts and buzzes of static electricity. 

“Jongdae—Jongdae’s fighting him!” Chanyeol gasps. 

“They’re fighting over control of Kyungsoo’s body!” Baekhyun grips his proton pack tightly. 

“Baekhyun! Chanyeol!” Kyungsoo shouts, this time with Jongdae in the driving seat. “Set up a depolariser. I need you to open a portal just enough for me to shove this  _douchebag_ through it!” 

“I’m on it!” Baekhyun hollers, tugging a baked bean can out of his pocket and throwing it under the energy. “Chan, keep an eye on him will you, I’m going to need to figure out a way to close this damn thing up again!” 

Chanyeol nods, holding his hands out warily. 

Kyungsoo’s all of a sudden staggers towards the energy, stumbling a little. His body then jerks away quickly, and he careers  in the opposite direction. 

“I need this energy, get  _out!_ ” Jiyong screeches, throwing Kyungsoo’s body around. 

“Jongin, watch he doesn’t slam into anything!” Chanyeol instructs, and Jongin instantly holds his arms up in case he needs to catch Kyungsoo. 

“I-isn’t there anything else we can do?” He chokes out through tears that are starting to slide down his face. 

“No!” Chanyeol shouts, ducking as Kyungsoo’s arm flails wildly over his head. 

“You’re not going to kill him! I swear to god I’ll shove you through that portal if it’s the last thing I do Kwon Jiyong!” Jongdae screeches in return. 

Jongin nods, swallowing thickly. 

Baekhyun continues to work furiously, linking up wires and making connections. “Jongdae this thing should be open in thirty seconds!” 

“Thank god I’m exhausted! This damn guy is stronger than he looks!” Jongdae yells, notes of tiredness already creeping into his voice. 

Kyungsoo topples over backwards, convulsing jerkily on the floor. “P-please Jongdae— please don’t give up.” Jongin begs. 

“Don’t you worry Jongin, I won’t.” Jongdae says, and despite the clear effort it’s taking him to keep control of Kyungsoo’s body he sounds deadly determined. 

Jiyong seems to take control again, lurching Kyungsoo to his feet and leading him staggering blindly towards the energy. 

“JONGDAE!” Jongin screams helplessly. 

“The portal’s opening in five, four, three, two, one— WE’RE OPEN!” Baekhyun sighs, rolling out from under the energy ball as it cracks down the middle and widens out, giving out a blindingly bright white light. 

Kyungsoo flops backwards again and Jongdae tumbles out from him, landing with some force on the floor. He looks severely weakened by the fight but he isn’t ready to give up yet. 

Jiyong drags Kyungsoo’s body across the floor at a slow, pained crawling pace. Kyungsoo’s just about rises to his feet, his body looking bruised and battered. 

Jongdae steels himself, and gives a reassuring look to Jongin who’s now cowering behind Chanyeol with tears running down his cheeks. He’s such a coward— Kyungsoo’s always protected him and yet here he is, absolutely useless. 

“Jongin, look away now.” Jongdae says, but Jongin doesn’t heed the advice. 

Jongdae storms towards Kyungsoo and then seemingly musters up all of the strength left in his body and delivers and almighty slap across his face. 

Everything seems to run in slow motion. 

Jongin registers the force hitting Kyungsoo’s body, and then Jiyong flying out from the weight of the hit. Kyungsoo flies across the room, hitting the far wall and crumpling to a heap on the floor, unconscious. 

Jongin also hears a blood-curling almost never-ending scream, and then he realises that the sound is coming from himself. He scrambles to his feet, his gaze fixed on Kyungsoo as tears cloud his visions. 

Chanyeol snatches hold of him. “Jongin, don’t be stupid!” He yells. 

Jongin looks around blearily and notices the battlefield he nearly stepped in the middle of. 

Jiyong has taken on his most demonic, menacing form, but Jongdae is holding strong. They dance around each other, firing flaming balls of different neon colours towards each other, some leaving trails in the air. 

“It’s paranormal energy.” Chanyeol says, voice torn half between terror and awe as he wraps his arms around Baekhyun to pull him closer. “If you get hit by one of those things you’re dead in an instant.” 

Jongdae and Jiyong continue to duel, and terror seizes Jongin’s chest as its clear that Jongdae’s powers may not be able to match up to a demon prince. 

Jiyong sends a trio of shimmering purples that collide with Jongdae’s chest, making the ghost stagger backwards. 

Jongdae retaliates, getting a few good hits with vivid yellow fireballs. 

Outside, bolts of lightning become more frequent and one of the windows of the room has smashed leaving a freezing wind gusting in. 

Jongin can only whimper helplessly as he keeps his eyes fixed on Kyungsoo across the room just waiting for any sign of movement— any sign of life. 

“You really think  _you_ have the capability to destroy me?” Jiyong taunts, ducking as an electric blue orb flies near his head. 

“I’m damn willing to try.” Jongdae hisses in return, successfully dodging a fireball headed his way. 

The battle goes on and the winds inside the room become almost hurricane-like, leaving Baekhyun, Chanyeol and Jongin clutching the wall in a vain attempt to protect themselves.  

The vortex roars with all the energy it’s holding, and Jongin starts to feel the pull of it creating a gravity source. 

“We can’t leave it open for much longer!” Baekhyun yells, squinting at his monitoring device and panicking slightly when he sees how high the readings are getting. 

Jongdae and Jiyong also seem to be struggling with the force of the portal, their forms beginning to be dragged across the room as they fight viciously. 

In fact, they’re so close to the opening that Jongdae’s hair is being tugged lightly as if strong, invisible hands have taken a grip on it. 

“I’m going to have to close it!” Baekhyun shakes his head as the readings flick repeatedly into the red. “If we carry on like this we’ll endanger the whole city!” 

“Baekhyun! What about Kyungsoo!?” Jongin sobs. 

“There’s nothing we can do, we have to trust Jongdae!” Baekhyun shouts apologetically, beginning a slow crawl towards the depolariser— hopefully he can reverse the polarity before he gets dragged into the portal himself. 

Jongdae catches sight of Baekhyun crawling across the floor. He knows that his time is up, he’s weakening against Jiyong’s power but he has to end this somehow, and end it quickly. He realises what he’s going to have to do and musters up what little courage he has left in him. 

Jongdae was never a brave person in life, despite the antics he got up to. He isn’t in death either, but there comes a time when the battle is about to be lost that every single last drop of hope and nerve has to be summoned up in order to fight for what you love. 

And so Jongdae does the unthinkable— he snatches hold of Jiyong by the lapels and throws both of them headfirst down the whirring portal. 

Chanyeol, Baekhyun and Jongin all scream in disbelief.

“I’m already in the process of sealing up the split! If he doesn’t get out soon then—“ 

“Then he’s trapped down there!” Jongin’s face blanches, and his eyes fix on the portal as it gets smaller and smaller and smaller by the second. 

The light begins to dim, and the most horrific wailing noises emit from what is left of the vortex. They’re sure to haunt Jongin for months, and he just hopes and prays that it isn’t Jongdae thats making them. 

“Portal should be sealed in ten seconds—“ 

“JONGDAE! JONGDAE COME BACK YOU NEED TO GET OUT NOW!” Chanyeol booms, gripping onto Jongin like a vice. 

“FIVE SECONDS!” 

Jongin can only scream himself hoarse, staring desperately into the void and praying that the slightest glimpse of Jongdae will appear. 

“THREE SECONDS! I don’t think he’s going to make it—“ Baekhyun says. 

“No, no, no, no.” Jongin chants. He can’t lose both Kyungsoo  _and_ Jongdae. Sure, Jongdae is irritating as hell but he— Jongin’s got used to him being a permanent fixture around the house and he can’t imagine life without him. 

Just then, as if by magic, a dark blur appears at the edge of the portal. The figure’s head pops out, face twisted in effort as it pulls away from the strong gravitational pull. The figure becomes clearer, and soon Jongdae’s legs are climbing out of the portal. 

“ONE SECOND!” 

Jongdae pulls his foot out with a pop like the uncorking of a bottle. He forward rolls across the floor and the room goes dead. The storm stops, the noises disappear and the energy mass is nowhere to be seen. 

The room is littered with debris, bits of broken glass and furniture, and the Ghostbusters (plus a very tired looking Jongdae) take a moment to catch their breath, looking around and trying to gauge their surroundings. 

“Guys… we did it.” Chanyeol says, a smile starting to creep across his face. “We—We did it!” He starts to laugh, at first a little slow and unsure but it soon becomes infectious and Jongin, Baekhyun and Jongdae join in heartily. 

“I can’t believe that just happened!” Baekhyun gasps, shaking his head in disbelief. He double checks his monitoring devices. “We’re fine, we’re fine, we’re back to normal.” He laughs, not fully comprehending the situation.  

Jongin laughs shakily and then suddenly cold dread snatches at his chest. He turns around so quickly that he nearly falls over, and just as he got them to stop the tears start flowing again. 

Kyungsoo still lies completely still and unmoving. “Kyungsoo! Kyungsoo!” Jongin cries sprinting across the room and collapsing at Kyungsoo’s side. 

“Soo? Soo please… Soo?” He whimpers, leaning over Kyungsoo’s lifeless figure. He brushes his fingers across Kyungsoo’s cheeks, feeling how cold they are, and tears start to drip down onto Kyungsoo’s face. “No—this isn’t— this isn’t real.” 

There’s a large, bleeding gash across Kyungsoo’s temple and aside from a few bruises and a split lip he looks just as delicately perfect as ever. 

Jongin shakes Kyungsoo’s shoulder lightly, gripping as tightly as he can and begging for him to wake up. “Kyungsoo wake up— please wake up— Soo please!” He sobs, brushing Kyungsoo’s hair off his forehead and tracing how his eyelashes fan across his cheekbones. 

“Jongin?” Chanyeol says from behind him, his own voice a little shaky. “Is he alright?” 

Jongin thinks of every last bit of first aid he knows— he should check for a pulse, check for breathing, check for any sign that Kyungsoo might be in there. He can’t bring himself to do it though, and instead clutches Kyungsoo to his chest and sobs wordlessly, cries racking his body and echoing off the walls. He rocks back and forth hopelessly, a shaking crying mess as his eyes become red and sore and his throat feels like sandpaper. 

He feels Baekhyun and Chanyeol at his side moments later, laying comforting, steadying hands on his back. “I’ve called an ambulance.” Baekhyun whispers quietly. 

“Jongin?” Jongdae calls suddenly, his voice a little hoarse and echoey. “Do you mind if I— try something?” 

Jongin looks at Jongdae blankly, clutching onto Kyungsoo’s hand like its the last thing grounding  him. “T-try what?” He croaks. 

Jongdae settles himself down beside him, looking at Kyungsoo with concentration. He steadily lays his hands on Kyungsoo’s chest, and then something extraordinary happens. 

Jongdae’s hands glow, softly at first but then warming up to a sharp brightness. The colour changes from white all through the spectrum, flicking through the shades like flames coming out of Jongdae’s fingertips. 

“My God…” Chanyeol whispers. “Spectral energy. H-he’s healing Soo.” 

The energy seems to disappear into Kyungsoo’s chest, swirling only for a second before running through his body and giving Kyungsoo a light glow. 

Jongin watches, enthralled, his eyes fixed firmly on Kyungsoo’s face.  _Come on, come on, wake up!_

And just like that, seconds later, Kyungsoo’s eyelashes flutter. 

Jongin leans forward so quickly that Jongdae only just about manages to move out of his way (he doesn’t think Jongin would appreciate feeling like he’s been dipped in an ice bath in his current state). He gulps, tears starting to flow again as he realises that yes,  _Kyungsoo is waking up._

Kyungsoo’s eyes drift open blearily and it takes him a second to focus on Jongin’s face above him. He registers that the boy is crying and confusedly leans a hand up to wipe away his tears. “Hey, you.” He begins weakly. 

Jongin lets out a relieved, choked sob before he cups Kyungsoo’s face in his hands and leans down to kiss him squarely on the mouth. 

Kyungsoo realises what Jongin’s going to do seconds before it happens, so he tangles his fingers in the lapels of Jongin’s jumpsuit and tugs him closer because it’s been a long time coming. 

Jongin’s lips are soft and warm and taste like heaven on earth, and even the salty sting to the kiss from Jongin’s tears can’t ruin the warmth that unfurls itself in Kyungsoo’s chest. He parts his lips slightly and softly traces his tongue across Jongin’s bottom lip, coaxing him to open up. Their tongues meet gently and Jongin sighs adorably, making puppy-like whining noises as he scrambles to get closer when Kyungsoo’s fingers tangle in his hair. 

Still a little confused (but definitely happy) about what is happening, Kyungsoo breaks the kiss off with a giggle and a shy blush. 

“Are you ok?” Jongin whispers. 

Kyungsoo nods. He feels like hell truthfully; everywhere hurts, his throat is dry and he feels a tad dizzy, but it’s hard not to feel good when you’ve just nibbled on Kim Jongin’s lips and made them as puffy and well-kissed as they are now. “Yeah, I’m good.” 

“I think we should— we should talk about some stuff— at some point.” Jongin says hesitantly, fisting his hands in the front of Kyungsoo’s jumpsuit. 

Kyungsoo smiles cutely, brushing Jongin’s fringe out of his eyes as the boy blushes and looks away. “What is there to talk about?” 

“You know… stuff.” Jongin shakes his head in embarrassment and presses their foreheads together, shutting his eyes. 

Kyungsoo smiles knowingly, and Chanyeol and Baekhyun erupt into applause. 

“I’ve been waiting for this moment for  _years!_ ” Baekhyun rejoices, wiping mock tears from his eyes. 

“At last, at last— THERE MAY BE A DISCUSSION!” Chanyeol booms. 

Jongin giggles coyly but then stops all of a sudden. Ambulance crews as starting to flood in to the room but that’s not what troubles him— it’s the fact that Jongdae is silent. 

He hovers just behind Baekhyun and Chanyeol with the fondest smile on his face, his own ghostly eyes looking a little glassy. But there’s something wrong. He’s  _flickering_  just like a bad TV signal and he looks greyer round the gills than normal. “Jongdae? Are you alright?” 

Jongdae smiles meekly. “Hopefully. I just— I just gave a lot of what little energy I had left to Kyungsoo. I—“ It’s clearly a big effort for him to speak. “I’m exhausted.” 

Paramedics start rushing to check Kyungsoo over but no one pays much attention to them, instead hanging on to Jongdae’s every word. 

“Is there anywhere you can go? To recharge?” Baekhyun asks a little desperately. 

“I don’t— I don’t—“ Jongdae doesn’t get to finish his sentence before he disappears into thin air. 

The rest of the team stand in silence for a moment. “Oh my god.” Baekhyun whispers. 

Chanyeol frowns. “He’ll be back. I know he will. Jongdae’s strong. He’ll find a way and come back.” 

“Mr Do, we’d like to get you on a stretcher and into an ambulance. You need to be checked over at hospital.” A tall man with a deep, reassuring voice says. 

Kyungsoo nods, before reaching and taking Jongin’s hand. “Come with me?” 

“Of course.” Jongin replies without hesitation. 

Chanyeol rolls his eyes. “We’ll deal with the media and everything. We’d better check on Sehun too, he’s probably wet himself being at home on his own through this. Oops.” 

Kyungsoo chuckles and laces his fingers through Jongin’s as he’s lifted onto the stretcher. He just hopes Chanyeol will be the one to discuss with the owners of Namsan Tower over who’s paying for all that broken glass. 

 

***

 

Fortunately, Kyungsoo’s injuries aren’t serious enough to warrant a night in hospital. 

Baekhyun, Chanyeol and Sehun sit around in the living room, all dressed and ready for bed but desperate to stay up to welcome Kyungsoo home. 

They leap up from their sofas when they hear the door swinging open just as the clock strikes midnight. “We’re back!” Jongin calls, limping Kyungsoo into the apartment with a supporting arm around his waist. 

“Are you alright Kyungsoo hyung?” Sehun asks, frowning. “Chanyeol and Baekhyun told me about what happened.” 

Kyungsoo smiles sleepily. “Yeah I’m fine. They’ve patched me up and I’ll be right as rain in no time.” 

“Good to hear it.” Sehun winks. 

Kyungsoo smirks as he feels Jongin’s arm squeeze at his waist tightly. 

“Did you guys eat?” Baekhyun asks, calling over his shoulder as he strolls into the kitchen. “The guys downstairs said they’ll give you free chicken for saving the world.” 

Jongin perks up immediately. “They did?” 

“Jongin, the hospital basically fed us a banquet. If you eat anymore you’ll get sick.” 

Jongin pouts. “I suppose.” 

“Well I’m glad we’re all like… not dead and everything but I’ve got an interview for the women’s weekly modelling contract tomorrow and I really wouldn’t appreciate looking like a zombie so I’m off to bed.” Sehun says, running a hand through his hair and glancing at the clock. He gives himself a minute to practice a momentary pout in the mirror.  

Chanyeol snorts derisively. “I’m tired too but at least I have a  _proper_ reason.” 

“Like what?” 

“Like  _saving the world_  were you even listening to the past conversation?” 

Baekhyun walks in not a second later and hands Kyungsoo and Jongin two mugs of hot, steaming tea. “It’s to help with the shock and to help you sleep better.” He says. “Channie, don’t start a fight with Sehun please. I’m tired, and I just want to go to bed. In fact we’re all going to bed now. We’re not starting an argument.” 

Chanyeol rolls his eyes. 

“Have you heard from Jongdae?” Kyungsoo asks before they can turn and start heading to their rooms. 

“Oh yeah.” Baekhyun says. “He turned up at the hospital in the ghost dimension. The nurses sent through a electro-telegram a couple of hours ago saying he’s recharging his batteries and he’s already flirting with everyone so he’ll be back home by tomorrow night, easily.” 

The last grains of tension leave Kyungsoo’s body and this time he allows the relief to properly set in. “Ah. That’s good.” 

Chanyeol cracks his back. “I’m gonna be sore as hell in the morning.” 

“I think we all are.” Kyungsoo replies rubbing his eyes. “Are we agreed on no alarm clocks tomorrow?” 

The room fills with resounding agreement as Baekhyun, Chanyeol and Sehun head down the corridor with waves and tired smiles. They’ll discuss the nights events in much more detail some time tomorrow, but for now everyone’s focus is hitting the pillow. 

When all the doors clunk shut (it’s notable that only the sound of Chanyeol’s and Sehun’s locks can be heard turning, meaning that a certain Byun Baekhyun has gone walkabout) Kyungsoo turns to Jongin and clinks their mugs together. “We’d best get some sleep too.” He says a little ruefully, tipping his head towards the corridor where their bedrooms are. 

“Yeah.” Jongin whispers, twisting his cup round and round in his hands. “Soo?” He calls just as Kyungsoo turns to lead the way. 

“Do you— do you mind if— I-I don’t really want to be on my own tonight. Do you mind if— if I stay with you?” 

Kyungsoo’s heart melts at the sight of Jongin looking so nervous as he blushes as red as an apple. 

“Course not.” He says softly, reaching his hand out to take Jongin’s as he leads them to his bedroom. 

They don’t say much as they stumble around in the darkness (Kyungsoo is too lazy to even bother turning the bedroom light on), exhaustion already starting to cloud their minds. They don’t say much as they get changed into loose sweats and t-shirts either, and they purposefully avoid eye contact like lovesick teenagers. 

Kyungsoo, as is tradition, snuggles into bed beside the wall and Jongin climbs in soon after, letting the soft mattress take the weight of his weary limbs. 

Kyungsoo hesitates for a moment before rolling on his side and tucking his head under Jongin’s chin,  burrowing into his collarbone. He puffs out a contented breath and Jongin smiles into the darkness. 

“Soo? What—are we?” Jongin asks quietly. 

“Humans.” Kyungsoo replies, deadpan. 

Jongin’s smile broadens. “You know what I mean.” He says, wrapping an arm around Kyungsoo’s waist and toying with the bottom of his sleep shirt. 

“I— what do you want us to be?” Kyungsoo says shyly, glad he can’t see Jongin’s face. He’s being a chicken and passing responsibility here, and he damn well knows it, but Kyungsoo would rather that Jongin took the scary steps. 

“Well— I— I’ve thought about this for the longest time and it seems so difficult. I just— I really,  _really_  like you. Like,  _really_ like you. I— today made me realise that I might actually— that I might actually  _love_ you, b-but you can ignore that bit if you think I’m getting ahead of myself but you know.” Jongin is well aware that that is a downright  _lie,_  he’s been fairly certain he’s felt more than ‘like’ for Kyungsoo for several months. 

Jongin feels Kyungsoo nod, but he doesn’t say anything so he continues blindly. “I’ve never been so scared before today, when I thought you— I thought you were… gone. I— you were just lying there and you didn’t move and you were so cold and I—“ Jongin’s voice breaks off for a moment with emotion. He steels himself and decides it’s now or never, and he takes the leap. “I want to be your… boyfriend. I want to be yours and I want you to be mine and I— oh  _god_ , I don’t even know if you feel the same but— I  _know_  love you.” 

Kyungsoo lets the words settle in for a moment. He can’t quite believe it, can’t quite believe this is all happening on one crazy day and all his dreams are coming true. This is Jongin,  _Kim Jongin,_ long term love even though he’s been in denial since forever. “I love you too.” He blurts all of a sudden. 

Jongin tenses beneath him. “R-really?” 

“Y-yeah.” Kyungsoo says. “Oh, Jongin, I had a crush on you since the first time I laid eyes on you and getting to know you kept making feelings worse and they developed and got more out of control and— dammit I fell in love with you. I didn’t think  _you_ felt the same. I don’t understand emotions very well— I’m not great at expressing myself. Feelings can’t be measured with EMF readers and they can’t be calculated or quantified and that’s the only thing I’ve ever really been good at. You hit me like a freight train and I just… didn’t know what to do. But I’d like— I  _want_  us to… be together. Forever preferably. Oh, now I’m just being embarrassing.” 

Jongin giggles, the sound tinkling in the air and Kyungsoo decides it’s his favourite sound and he wants to bottle it and keep it for the rest of his life. “We’re boyfriends now? Shouldn’t we do something movie-ish and like, date for a bit?” 

“Jongin, I think we’re long past that stage. We’re already on love confessions I don’t have time or patience to be angsty over dates. So yeah, we’re… boyfriends now.” Kyungsoo smiles. He weaves his arms round Jongin’s middle and snuggles in closer. He’s tired and wildly embarrassed at himself so he really just wants this all to be cleared up so he doesn’t have to feel so awkward. “You’re my boyfriend.” The words feel foreign on his tongue but the warmth they stir in Kyungsoo’s chest  are like nothing else. 

“Oh my god, I have a boyfriend. That was actually easier than expected. All I had to do was do my cheesy speech. Wow.” 

“You’re such a dork.” 

“I’m your dork now though.” 

 Kyungsoo lets out a little embarrassed squeak, rolling his face into the junction between Jongin’s neck and shoulder and inhaling the scent of his skin. “I guess you are. I should get you a badge:  _Kim Jongin, professional ghost hunter and officially Do Kyungsoo’s dork.”_

“I like the sound of that.” Jongin giggles again. “S-shouldn’t we like… kiss or something? Make it official?” 

“Should we?” 

“I don’t know, that’s just what they do in the movies.” 

“If you want to kiss me you can.” Kyungsoo blushes and he’s sure Jongin must be able to feel the heat against his skin. 

Jongin ponders. “We’re in a really comfy position though and I don’t want to disturb you. Do you promise to let me kiss you properly in the morning?” 

“Jongin, we’re dating. In the morning we’re making up for months of lost time.” Kyungsoo snaps his mouth shut the moment the words leave his mouth.  _Why must he sound so suggestive?_

“We are?” Jongin sounds far too enthusiastic, and Kyungsoo can’t bring himself to go back on his word. 

“Yes, we are. Now go to sleep.” Kyungsoo says, suddenly getting brave and daring to press a kiss to Jongin’s neck. 

Jongin hums blissfully, pecking Kyungsoo gently on the head before burying his nose in his hair. “Night, Soo. I love you.” 

“I love you too.” It’s the easiest thing Kyungsoo’s said in a while. 

 

And so Kyungsoo and Jongin fall asleep in each other’s arms, contented with their (finally) official relationship. 

 

 

Secretly, Baekhyun and Chanyeol fall asleep together too, but they’re not letting that one out until Jongin and Kyungsoo confess. Looks like they’ll be in for a shock come morning. 

 

 

Oh, and Sehun falls asleep hugging… a picture of himself. He knows that sometimes the only person who can truly understand you and make you happy is yourself, and when you’re as hot as Sehun it’s a win win, clearly.

 

Just like that, night falls over Ghostbusters HQ and life, in every dimension, is pretty good. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

_6 months later…_

 

Kyungsoo and Jongin are running down the street on a Saturday night that’s pouring with rain. Saturdays are official date night, the time where just the two of them escape from the privacy-free zone they call home and head out for a good time. 

Kyungsoo laughs himself breathless as Jongin chases him down the street. 

“Soo! Give the umbrella back you’re not being fair!” Jongin whines, but the broad smile on his face as he dashes through the droplets lets Kyungsoo know he isn’t really angry. 

They’ve just been for the nicest meal at the sweetest little restaurant and Kyungsoo’s heart feels fit to burst with contentment. His decision to snatch the umbrella from Jongin’s grasp and sprint down the street is largely because the younger is wearing only black slacks and a white shirt and Kyungsoo thinks he looks rather appealing when wet (no innuendo intended, but then again maybe there is). 

Kyungsoo slows to a halt outside the chicken take away and he pants heavily as a sodden Jongin catches up with him. 

“You’re so mean.” Jongin pouts, ducking under the awning and fiddling in his pocket to find his keys. 

Kyungsoo giggles shamelessly. “You enjoyed it. You’re a lazy butt anyway, it’s about time you did some exercise.” He pokes Jongin teasingly in the side, feeling the solid muscle beneath the flimsy fabric. 

Jongin swings the outside door open and before Kyungsoo realises whats happening he’s being picked up and whirled around so he’s inside. 

The door slams shut, sealing them off from the outside world and Jongin smirks as he presses Kyungsoo’s back against the wall. “Who’d have thought it, Do Kyungsoo is  _flirting_.” 

Kyungsoo snorts, brushing strands of damp hair off Jongin’s forehead with his fingertips. “Who’d have thought it, the sweet innocent Kim Jongin pushing his boyfriend against the wall in a grubby hallway.” 

Jongin grins cheekily before he leans in. “You love it.” He whispers. 

Kyungsoo only has time to hum in agreement before Jongin captures his lower lip between his teeth and draws them together. 

Jongin is a wonderful kisser and Kyungsoo regrets all the time he spends not kissing him. His lips are soft and warm and inviting and Jongin’s tongue is capable of drawing the prettiest sounds from Kyungsoo’s mouth. 

They stand there for quite some time locked in each other’s embrace, with Kyungsoo’s arms curled round Jongin’s neck and fingers tangling in his hair as Jongin stands with a hand on Kyungsoo’s hip and another cupping his cheek. 

They only break off when Kyungsoo pushes Jongin off him lightly. “Ew, you’re all soggy and its seeping through my clothes.” 

“Oh, and whose fault is that, hm?” Jongin laughs, eyebrows raised as Kyungsoo frowns displeasedly. 

“Mine I suppose— wait a minute, can you hear  _music?_ ” Kyungsoo stops mid sentence, looking up the stairs towards where the front door to their apartment is. 

Jongin frowns, listening. “Oh yeah.” 

There’s a definite bass sound thudding throughout the building. 

Kyungsoo and Jongin look at each other wordlessly before entwining their fingers and making a steady ascent up the stairs. 

The sound of the music gets even louder as they approach, and now the sound of muffled laughter and chatter can also be heard. 

Jongin rests his hand on the door handle. “I get the feeling we shouldn’t have left Jongdae in charge.” He says ruefully. 

Kyungsoo nods, closing his eyes as Jongin swings the door open. 

“What the—“ Jongin starts before thinking better of it. 

Jongdae, clearly, has thrown a party. There are ghosts and humans everywhere, dancing to painfully loud music and generally having a great time. 

The living room is a mess, with cups and streamers and all sorts of debris flung everywhere. 

“YOU’RE BACK!” A voice suddenly hollers and Jongdae is gliding towards them, a drink in his hand and a cheshire cat grin on his lips. “Just in time for the party!” 

“Jongdae what have you done to my house?” Kyungsoo growls, having now braved opening his eyes to survey the devastation. 

“Um…” Jongdae looks around himself. “I threw a party.” 

“Well I can see that.” Jongin says. 

“Remind me again why we agreed that you could live here permanently?” Kyungsoo frowns. 

“Dude, I saved your life remember? Plus, who doesn’t love a great party? Oh, have you met these guys?” Jongdae says, gesturing to a group of three ghosts who stand together in biker gear similar to Jongdae’s. “This is Yifan, Tao and Yixing. We met at the Korea-China ghost bike drive a couple of years ago.” 

The group of ghosts raise their glasses in acknowledgement of Jongin and Kyungsoo. 

“Oh! And this is Minseok.” Jongdae says, slinging his arm around another ghost’s waist and pulling him into his side. “We got a lil’ something going on.” He winks. 

“By that Jongdae means I agreed to go on a date with him a couple of days ago. THAT’S ALL!” Minseok says before sweeping off. 

“He’ll warm up to me in no time.” 

“Where are Baekhyun and Chanyeol?” Jongin asks. He would have thought they could have made an effort to stop the rave. 

“They’re enjoying themselves. They tried to keep it low key at the start but then we pulled the shots out and they’re  _smashed._ ” Jongdae points behind him and sure enough Baekhyun and Chanyeol are— well, Baekhyun and Chanyeol appear to be involved in… something that makes Kyungsoo feel a little ill. 

“Sehun found a guy too!” Jongdae enthuses suddenly. 

Sure enough, bundled away in a corner is Oh Sehun with a pretty, dainty guy in his lap. 

“Is he a  _ghost?_ ” Jongin gapes, staring at the boy’s shimmery form. 

Sehun currently has his tongue down the guy’s throat. “Who, Luhan? Yeah he is, and he’s Chinese too.” 

“Is that even  _legal_?” Jongin gapes as Sehun’s hand wander to the ghost’s ass. 

Jongdae shrugs. “As far as I know. Never seen anyone arrested for dating a guy from China.” He cackles wildly at his own joke. 

“You know what I meant.” Jongin pouts. 

“Yeah, yeah, it probably is. Who knows, who cares really. Now are you gonna stay for drinks or are you going to be boring?” 

“Boring.” Kyungsoo states, grabbing Jongin’s hand and dragging him off to their bedroom. 

Jongin manages to greet a few people, human and ghost, as he passes before he finds himself in the quiet of the bedroom. 

Kyungsoo sighs grumpily, but his mood changes in seconds and he strides over to Jongin. His hands immediately come up to cup Jongin’s face. “Now, where were we?” He smiles coyly. 

Jongin mirrors the smirk. “Oh, I think my hands were somewhere around here.” He says, sliding his palms down Kyungsoo’s back to rest comfortably on his ass. 

Kyungsoo giggles and blushes and it makes Jongin fall in love with him just a little bit more. “And if I remember correctly your lips were just about  _here_.” He says, pointing innocently to his lips. 

Jongin grins and starts to lean in before thought hits him. He breaks away from Kyungsoo and leans out of the bedroom door, glaring at everyone in the living room. 

“IF ANY OF YOU GHOSTY FUCKERS HAVE ANY SENSE DO NOT COME THROUGH THESE WALLS FOR YOUR OWN SAFETY!” 

He slams the door shut and clicks the lock firmly, turning to meet Kyungsoo’s fingers working at the buttons of his shirt. 

Jongin grins and walks them backwards until they hit the side of the bed. 

Kyungsoo flops backwards with Jongin on top of him, bouncing gently as they hit the soft mattress. 

They share a smug smirk. “You ready for a good time, Kim Jongin?” Kyungsoo flirts. 

Jongin licks his lips. “Damn right I am.”

 

Yeah, life  _is_ pretty good. 

 

 

 

 

The End. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  
i didnt know how to end this lol #cheese

 

 

 

 

 

 

[twitter](http://www.twitter.com/teatoxic)

[tumblr](http://www.kaisoocupoftea.tumblr.com)

[curiouscat](http://www.curiouscat.me/timefortea)

 

**Author's Note:**

> cross posted from asianfanfics (timefortea)!!!!


End file.
